Sajad Lone

Baramulla, July 24 (KNS): The blame game of R&B and PHE to each other has put work on Ravocha-Pazalpora (Rafiabad) road in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district incomplete despite touching deadline this year. The inordinate delay in expediting the work on multi-crore project has made the journey of travelers inconvenient who appealed authorities to take necessary steps in this regard.
According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), the work on Ravocha-Pazalpora road was taken up in the beginning of 2018 but Department of Roads & Buildings (R&B) has miserably failed to complete the task within a due time. The project which costs 10.30 crore was supposed to be completed in 2020 but according to survey only 20 percent of work has been done so far over the stretch.
The condition of this vital road is very poor as drivers hesitate to run their vehicles. Locals told KNS that the pace of work over the stretch is going very slow that irks the locals and other travelers. As per officials, R&B was given task to road widening at some locations, macadamization and construction of few culverts over the vital 15 km distance.
Parvez Ahmad, a local told KNS that apathetic outlook of administration over Ravocha-Pazalpora is enough to negate the tall claims of development by Government. He said men and machinery over the stretch appears only when any high level officials visits the area. Nobody in the administration is listening our pleas.
Another resident while talking with KNS expressed strong anger over slow pace of work on the road. “It has been many years now, even 50 percent of the work has been not finished yet”, Mudasir Ahmad of Rafiabad said.
He added administration is playing dilly-dallying tactics with us. “First the project was given to Rightway Constructions who later on handed over it to another agency which left the project incomplete so far”, Mudasir told.
According to Mudasir, local delegations met several times to concern authorities and highlighted the poor condition of road on social networking sites but sadly no attention was paid to our cries.
Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) R&B Rafiabad Javed Ahmad told KNS that Jal Shakti Department is also including in the project as it has been tasked to dig out pipes at several locations which is the main cause of delay.
“Jal Shakti Department has been directed to shift pipes to road side for which they have been paid 15 lac so far. Once Jal Shakti Department will take up the work, I am sure the project will be completed within a given deadline”, AEE said.
Meanwhile AEE Jal Shakti Rafiabad assured that the department will commence the work in coming days.
“We have to erect pipes at few places, the R&B department is free to start work on rest of the road”, he said. (KNS)